Researchers are good at researching. They can write some code though.
Programmers are good at programming. They know how to write good code that is easy to maintain and adapt.

If you're a researcher with some experience in writing code, you should ask you self, "should I spend that much time writing code, while a programmer does a better job in less time while it has also less bugs, will be reviewed and has unit tests"? Also, how much do you know about design patterns? Sure. Your code works without. Good luck with it. Also good luck with the headache in one year.

"still, I don't like the idea of having my books disappear if I don't pay a continuing subscription."

They're not your books. You can read them as long as you pay your subscription. That's how a library works.
You not like, you not borrow book, you buy book.

Next!

I doubt it will work. We have tax on packaging, but still you see packages that have unnecessary plastic. Companies don't care as long as the consumer doesn't care. And they don't.

Time to face the music and deal with the garbage produced, instead of making it somebody else's problem.

Correct.

Uranium makes great stuff to shoot at Iraqi tanks.
Is that mess cleaned up yet?

the war on free press.

They're the worst kind of terrorist. Fighting with Pen And Truth and using the internet as IED and WMD.

The loyal ones write about what the government want you to believe.
Then there is a bunch of them that write about oil spills and the banking system.
But the worst are those that turn against their government and write the truth.

Extrapolate.

"but others suspect it's wiring the continent for surveillance".
With todays knowledge: probably yes,
Thanks again mr. Snowden for revealing the truth.

Such a shame. It should have been NSA surveillance equipment, but they will find an other way.

How will a better YouTube UI aid safer driving?

Didn't think so.

Nope. They don't. On a bad day you're just wondering why you're on a no-fly list and how to get off.

Not less bad. Bad in a different way.

In other news people got kidnapped, locked up and tortured based only on suspicion and without any kind of trial.

The is the biggest software pirate I know. I don't feel sad for them.

Yup. And that is why good education (math) is so important. To educate people to see the things in perspective.
But there is also a role here for the media. People feel less secure, as a result of hyped news coverage, while in fact they are more secure than ever before.